To wrap up its Year of the City, Buffalo State is presenting a roundtable discussion, “The Future of the City of Buffalo,” on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The roundtable members are six Western New Yorkers whose belief in a booming, twenty-first-century Buffalo is exceeded only by the efforts they are making to bring that city to life.

Expect to leave this event with a firm belief in Buffalo’s future—a future overflowing with creativity, economic well-being, and cultural riches.

The participants are:

Howard Zemsky, managing partner of the Larkin Development Group, chair of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, and chair of the Buffalo State College Council

David A. Franczyk, a lecturer in the History and Social Studies Education Department, member of the Buffalo Common Council representing the Fillmore District, a member of the council’s waterfront development committee, and former president of the Common Council

Joseph Golombek Jr., a lecturer in the History and Social Studies Education Department, a member of the Buffalo Common Council representing the North District, and chair of its Community Development Committee

Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and advocate of a “blue economy” for Western New York, capitalizing on its location on the shore of one of the world’s most important bodies of fresh water

“Buffalo State is committed to the city of Buffalo,” said Severson, “and that commitment has been demonstrated since the institution first opened its doors in 1871 on the city’s West Side. For this roundtable, we invited participants who have demonstrated a similar commitment. We are very grateful to our speakers for accepting our invitation. We look forward to hearing them discuss the future of the city that is Buffalo State’s home.”

This event is sponsored by Buffalo State’s School of Natural and Social Sciences, History Department, and Small Business Development Center. It is cosponsored by the School of the Professions, and the Economics and Finance, Geography and Planning, Hospitality and Tourism, Political Science, and Sociology departments at Buffalo State.